We Tell Stories and Stories Tell Us

Session Submission Type: Panel Discussion

Abstract

Representing a variety of story sources, methods, and stages of the research process, the
members of this panel contribute to an important conversation about how storytelling constructs
identities. Each project illustrates specific ways in which telling stories is an important means of
understanding the social world and defining personal and group identity. Individually, the
projects examine the social construction of friendships, family relationships, religious groups,
and support groups. Together, they build a common theme: When people tell stories, they do
not merely recite memories, but they actively construct their experiences and themselves in the
telling. Because of their diverse contexts for research, the panelists demonstrate the prevalence
of storytelling and the variety of ways stories shape experiences. Storytelling may provide a
sense of coherence or justify beliefs or values. In every sense, we are storied people.
The purpose of this panel is to expand the possibilities for communication researchers to
study narrative as an agent of social construction. Each presenter works inductively to highlight
the contributions of social constructionism as it is applied to the discourse of narrative. Both
interactive and document research data will be represented.
The panel will address the convention theme, Communicating World Views: Faith-
Intellect-Ethics, by exploring how narrative both constructs and communicates worldviews and
how faith of various kinds is shaped by stories. Implicit in all of the presentations is the goal of
listening to and appreciating the stories of others as a way of expressing respect for the sensemaking,
identities and world views of others.

Sub Unit

• Language and Social Interaction Division

Cosponsor

• Communication as Social Construction Division

Chair

• T. M. Linda Scholz

Respondent

• Michelle Miller-Day, Penn State University

Session Organizer

• John W. Lannamann, Univ of New Hampshire